Roman coinage use ceased in Britain in the late 4th century, some years or even decades before the political union with the Empire was dissolved. Settlement of southern and eastern Britain by Germanic groups - some as adventurers, some invited by the Roman or British authorities - during the 5th century saw the rise of Anglian, Saxon and Jutish chiefdoms. By the mid-7th century these early groupings had stabilized into kingdoms and many were about to embark on the issuing of coinage as part of a developing market economy along the rim of the North Sea. Initially, these coins were copies of gold Merovingian (Frankish) types, some of which had found their way to this country through commerce and tribute. The Merovingian kings had struck gold tremisses and small silver coins known as sceats, their designs derived from standard forms of Roman coin. The first coins struck in Anglo-Saxon England were gold coins of a type similar to that of the tremisses. Gold Anglo-Saxon thrymsas and Merovingian tremisses are extremely rare, but we occasionally have examples for sale on this page.